Kenyan Billionaires Abu Joho, Mohammed Jaffer Pulled Into Defamation Case Over Port Rivalry

A defamation case in a Mombasa courtroom has widened into a proxy fight between two of the citys best known business figures, Abu Joho and Mohammed Jaffer, after a viral letter accused the Joho family of drug trafficking and other crimes. Prosecutors have charged Matilda Maodo Kinzani under Kenyas Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, accusing her of publishing false information. The contested document, shared on WhatsApp and across social media, alleged that Abu Joho, brother of Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho, was involved in drug dealing, theft of cargo containers and illegal acquisition of land, and it also tied him to claims of a multibillion-shilling fraud. Abu Joho testified that the allegations bruised his reputation and business and put his family in the spotlight. He told the court the attack was not random. He said it was driven by rivalry in port logistics and fertilizer handling, areas where he has expanded and where he described Jaffer as a long standing competitor with deep interests in bulk handling at the Port of Mombasa. Jaffer has not been charged, and his lawyer, Michael Oloo, has rejected claims that Jaffer sponsored the smear campaign. Oloo argued that Abu Johos attempt to link Jaffer to the letter surfaced late and was not part of the initial police report. In a counterclaim, Oloo told the court that Kenya Railways managing director Philip Mainga drafted the letter and forwarded it to Abu Joho. A police constable from the Anti-Terror Police Unit testified that Mainga alerted Abu Joho to the existence of the defamatory document circulating online. Under cross-examination, the officer said he had not examined Maingas phone to verify communications, and he acknowledged that investigators did not obtain call logs between Mainga and Abu Joho. The officer said forensic analysis traced the document to Kinzanis phone, but he also conceded there was no evidence linking the WhatsApp number used to circulate the material to her. Defense questioning has also focused on why an anti-terror unit handled the investigation. The officer said he was instructed to pursue the case and acknowledged it fell outside the units usual mandate. The hearings are before Principal Magistrate David Odhiambo, with more witnesses expected.